4.12.11

Out now: VA ~ Subversio (Dubbhism Deluxe)

Subversio (Latin, noun): overturn, overthrow, ruin, destruction



"fascinating and enjoyable"
X.J. Scott ~ nonoctave.com

buy at beatport ~ juno ~ boomkat ~ amazon ~ digital-tunes or any other store


subversio ~ strictly next level sounds


Warning! This is xenharmonic music. An unusual sound, xenharmonic or micro-tonal music is about  inventing fresh new harmonies using strange combinations of frequencies. Stuff that most 'regular' musical instruments can't handle. That's why this album was created using a very special synthesizer. It's called FMTS, it was developed by Jacky Ligon (who's also one of the artists) and it's purple.

The Subversio album is released together with a serious update of this freeware FM synth (version 1.1) which can be downloaded at the Xen-Arts website. The FMTS is used on all tracks of the album. Three producers created these tracks, let's introduce them...

Sevish
Is the man behind Split Notes, the first and probably the finest netlabel for hi quality xen music with-a-beat. Sevish contributes ballsy dnb tracks that showcase his great harmonic audacity. He's from London, and we think he's the guy who's going to turn the UK (possibly the planet) on to xenharmonics. Both with his own music and with his forward-thinking netlabel, which is picking up more steam as we speak. Official website: Sevish Music.

Jacky Ligon
Is really a Leonardo da Vinci kinda guy. Clever enough to design his own VST synths (he's got a little secret toolbox full of homemade goodies as well) and creative enough to come up with great sounding, highly individual, yet very accessible music. While most synth developers would be content creating a generic 'dubstep' demotrack showcasing the wobble-potential of their homegrown instrument, Jacky takes his art a few steps further. His theoretical knowledge of xenharmonics is deep, but his mixes are even deeper and also extremely refined. It's like sonic architecture for audiophiles really. Hearing is believing. Official website: Xen-Arts.

Tony Dubshot
Is the guy behind Dubbhism. He's a dub producer who likes to think of xenharmonics as a dub effect. His style is a bit simplistic compared to the refined tunings and harmonic effects created by Sevish and Jacky Ligon, but he's a newcomer so give him a break. Tony is an analog hooligan, he processed the Xenharmonic FMTS sounds with his modular monster synth, producing nasty noises and fx. Official website: Dubbhism.

Xenharmonic FMTS
Is the name of the synth that was used to create all harmonic parts on the album. The all inclusive Subversio deal means that you can try the xenharmonic approach for yourself ~ if you're a computer musician using the VST format that is.


Xenharmonic FMTS 1.1 (maintenance update, december 2011)

New features:
  • Added exponential response to the Filter 1 Cutoff Frequency control slider;
  • Added 58 total automation targets for host DAW automation. Targets are included for ADSR, FM-RM Oscilllator Algorithm, Effects Section, Filter Section, Global and Local Microtuning, Operator Waveforms and Oscillator Section;
  • Added more presets, microtunings, partials files;
  • Improved FM-RM oscillator quality (especially in the bass range).

Bug fixes:
  • Fixed Operator Keyboard Tracking Slider bug;
  • Fixed Frequency Limit bug that could cause clipping under certain circumstances.
There were so many internal changes that it became necessary to assign the synth a new VST ID, and for that reason, patches created with the initial release are not compatible with version 1.1.